ITV

Category: Technology

  • Eros creates buzz by rolling out its Global Service online

    Eros creates buzz by rolling out its Global Service online

    MUMBAI: Eros Now has created quite a buzz overseas with its online offering of full length Hindi feature films, songs, music videos and other short form movie content.

    Full length movies are part of a monthly subscription, currently available at a special introductory rate of $5.99 overseas while all short form content is available for free.

    The brand has just released TV commercials in the UK and USA that highlight the features of their unique services. The television commercials are running on all popular South Asian channels.
    The newly launched TV commercial lists all the features including the newly released iPad App and displays the latest blockbusters like Cocktail, English Vinglish, Ferrari Ki Sawaari and many more, that are available to watch on their website.

    The brand is also offering a 14-day completely free trial for all new users where they can access any film that is available in Eros‘ ‘Now Library‘.

  • Netflix inks Warner Bros licensing agreement

    Netflix inks Warner Bros licensing agreement

    MUMBAI: A recent research reveals that there has been an explosion in UK OTT usage over the past year. Considering this, on demand cinema provider Netflix has entered a multi-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros.

    Under this agreement, Netflix subscribers will get exclusive access to complete previous seasons of American TV series such as Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Fringe and Chuck.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in the media, "We are thrilled to be the exclusive online subscription home for these incredibly entertaining shows from Warner Bros Television. We are giving fans the opportunity to relive their favourite moments from these programmes while hopefully attracting a lot of new ones who will be able to enjoy these serialised stories from their very beginning."
    Warner Bros International Television president Jeffrey R Schlesinger said, "We are pleased to be able to offer fans in the UK on-demand access to past seasons of these incredibly addictive series. Whether fans discover, catch-up or relive favourite episodes, Netflix is a terrific distribution partner and this deal demonstrates that there is now a viable new outlet for our programming after the initial telecast in the UK."

  • Reliance Entertainment Digital to consolidate gaming business under Zapak

    Reliance Entertainment Digital to consolidate gaming business under Zapak

    Mumbai: Reliance Entertainment Digital, which runs two gaming brands Jump Games and Zapak Digital Entertainment under its portfolio, is consolidating its gaming business under the brand name ‘Zapak‘.

    With this, Jump Games, a developer and publisher of mobile games, apps and content, will be re-branded and re-christened as Zapak Mobile Games.

    Reliance Entertainment Digital aims to leverage synergies between each of the gaming verticals and create a unified brand entity for its gaming operations with this move.

    The integrated brand, Zapak, will now reach out to over 20 million gamers across the globe who would be able to access nearly 2000 games on the Mobile and Web, the company said.

    Post the re-structure, Zapak Digital Entertainment will operate three business verticals: Zapak Solutions, Zapak Online & WAP Portal, and Zapak Mobile Games.

    Zapak Solutions will specialise in providing Advergaming and Gamification solutions to brands across mobile and online platforms worldwide. Zapak Online and WAP Portal offers free casual games on web and mobile via its platforms – zapak.com & m.zapak.com while Zapak Mobile Games develops and publishes games across platforms for its Indian and global audiences.

    Reliance Entertainment Digital CEO Manish Agarwal said, “This move is aimed at exploiting huge gaming potential on mobile and leveraging gaming synergies existing within the group to focus on ‘Mobile First‘, while leveraging on the Zapak brand name that is synonymous with gaming over the years. We stay committed to offering consumers and advertisers, the world-over, best-in-class options through highly engaging mobile games, easy to play & discover casual gaming destination and innovations in consumer engagement through Advergaming and Gamification solutions across all consumer touch points.”

    Zapak Digital Entertainment will continue operations from its headquarters in Mumbai, India, with offices located in Pune, India and Chicago & LA, USA.

  • Hinduja group plans HITS platform; seeks licence from I&B Ministry

    Hinduja group plans HITS platform; seeks licence from I&B Ministry

    MUMBAI: Hinduja Group, which has interests in cable TV distribution business through IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd, is planning to launch Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) platform for smaller cable TV operators to offer digital service.

    The HITS business will be under Grant Investrade, an investment arm of the Hindujas. Grant Investrade holds 6 per cent stake in IMCL.

    Grant Investrade has applied to the Information and Broadcasting ministry for a licence to operate HITS.

    "We applied for HITS licence about two weeks back. We feel that there will be a huge demand for such a service in the third and fourth phase of digitisation which will spread over small towns," IMCL managing director Ravi Mansukhani tells Indiantelevision.com.

    Former Sun Group chief executive officer Tony D‘Silva will head the HITS business for the Hindujas. A veteran in the distribution business, D‘Silva has experience in both the broadcasting and the direct-to-home (DTH) side of the business. He was earlier heading Sun Direct, Kalanithi Maran‘s DTH company. Prior to that, he was headling Star India‘s distribution business.

    Wouldn‘t it have made more sense for the HITS business to reside in IMCL? "We are looking at creating a neutral platform which cable operators and other MSOs can also tap. So we decided that it be housed under a separate company," explains Mansukhani.

    IMCL is in talks with private equity investors to raise $75 million to fund the second phase of cable TV digitisation. The company plans to deploy four million set-top boxes (STBs) on top of the 1.5 million it is expecting to achieve in the first phase of digitisation.

    Building a HITS platform will involve huge investments as it requires transponder space on satellite, encryption systems and digital set-top boxes. Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSTPL), part of the Jain TV Group, is planning to invest Rs 15 billion over five years in its Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) project. The HITS service will operate under the JainHits brand.

    The government has mandated digitisation across India by 31 December 2014. The second phase in 38 more cities will be by 31 March 2013, following the switchover to digital delivery of cable TV in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata from 1 November. The revised deadline for switchover to digital delivery in Chennai is likely to be decided by the Madras High Court.

  • Sony Six strengthens presence on DTH

    Sony Six strengthens presence on DTH

    MUMBAI: Sony Six, the sports entertainment channel from Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, has signed two new deals to strengthen its presence on direct-to-home (DTH) platforms.

    The channel is now available on Tata Sky and Airtel digital TV. It was already on Videocon d2h and Dish TV. With this, Six will have a total reach of 36.7 million C&S homes.

    Six, which went on air on 7 April, has been priced at Rs 14.70 on a la carte basis in digital addressable system (DAS) areas.

    MSM COO N P Singh said, "We are happy to announce that in addition to Dish TV and Videocon, SIX is now also available on TATA SKY and Airtel. DTH platforms have achieved a strong distribution reach and with this development, we will be able to further strengthen our distribution in India.”

    It has Indian Premier League (IPL) as its tentpole property in addition to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and National Basketball Association (NBA) as it looks to woo youths with fast-paced sporting events.
    Commenting on this development, One Alliance President Rajesh Kaul said, "The One Alliance always strives to create a strong product offering of diverse television content. The sports genre has always been a strong growth driver and with Six now available on an array of DTH platforms, viewers can enjoy their favorite sports with enhanced visual and sound quality."

  • 9X Media partners with Vserv.mobi for app monetization

    9X Media partners with Vserv.mobi for app monetization

    MUMBAI: Music television network – 9X Media has appointed Vserv.mobi, a global mobile ad network for app developers, publishers and advertisers, as its exclusive application monetisation partner for its games and applications on the android platform.

    Vserv.mobi will monetize 9XM‘s entertainment apps on the platform via premium ads powered by the Vserv AppWrapper.

    The network already has music and gaming apps on the IOS platform. The 9X Music Network Android App is used for live streaming of 9XM, 9X Jalwa, 9X Tashan and 9X Jhakaas. The network has also launched Android apps featuring 9XM‘s characters – Bade and Chote. These Android apps include Joke Central which plays the signature ‘Bakwaas Bandh Kar‘ videos and Talking Buddies, which is an interactive talking app featuring ‘Bade & Chote‘.

    Another offering is Amar Prem which provides content from Bollywood hits music channel 9X Jalwa and also gives the opportunity to tap one‘s BQ (Bollywood Quotient). The application has over 500 cool translations of popular Bollywood numbers. All the three apps are enabled by AppWrapper monetisation and will be available as free downloads on the Android Play Store.
    Vserv.mobi VP – business development – India and Middle East Rohit Verma said, "This is a big step forward in the mainstreaming of the mobile medium." This partnership with 9X Media brings entertaining content and iconic characters from television on to the mobile medium.

    Verma said with Indian content such as Joke Central and Talking buddies now being ‘APPified‘, brand advertisers on our network will be able to reach their audience in a very localised and engaging context.

    9X Media SVP – digital Vibha Gosher said, "Our content is extremely popular on television and now, with consumers being addicted to mobile screens, we are bringing the same engaging experience, to the various mobile platforms through applications. Having launched 13+ IOS based Games and Applications; we are now focusing on the Andriod market space to connect with the large base of Andriod phone users. We believe mobile is the future, and partnering with Vserv.mobi enables us to monetize our efforts, while delivering our premium unique content to millions of mobile consumers."

  • Netflix in content deal with Warner for Canada

    Netflix in content deal with Warner for Canada

    MUMBAI: Over the Top subscription service Netflix and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution have announced an exclusive licensing agreement allowing Netflix members in Canada to instantly watch previous seasons of dramas and films from Warner Bros.

    The first two seasons of ‘The Vampire Diaries‘, the teen supernatural drama, are now available on Netflix Canada with season three following on 1 January 2013. Complete previous seasons of ‘Pretty Little Liars‘, the mystery-thriller following four teen friends whose clique falls apart with the disappearance of their queen bee, and Fringe, the science fiction series from J.J. Abrams, will also be available in Canada on January 1.

    Also coming to Netflix as part of the agreement is ‘The Hangover Part II‘; ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ and the comedy, ‘Horrible Bosses‘ with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, as well as other Warner Bros. titles that will be exclusively available online on Netflix Canada for a limited period following their pay television window.
    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, "We are thrilled to be the exclusive online subscription home for ‘The Vampire Diaries‘, ‘Pretty Little Liars‘, ‘Fringe‘ and great Warner Bros. feature films in Canada. Over the years, we‘ve learned that our members love to immerse themselves in serialized dramas and great movies, and we think that our Canadian members are going to love these latest additions to the service."

    Warner Bros. International Television president Jeffrey R. Schlesinger said, "We are pleased to extend our great relationship with Netflix to the benefit of their Canadian subscribers — giving them access to full past seasons of some of our most popular and addictive serialized dramas and blockbuster feature film titles".

  • Times Internet acquires MensXP

    Times Internet acquires MensXP

    MUMBAI: Times Internet has announced the acquisition of mens‘ lifestyle portal MensXP.

    Launched by Angad Bhatia and his team three years ago, MensXP has built a site which people have visited to learn about things that matter to them.

    The company has also worked with advertisers like Burberry, LG and Samsung to help them reach the economically rising, urban Indian male looking for a cosmopolitan lifestyle, the company statement read.

    According to Times Internet, their goal is to make this content even better and expose it to a bigger audience. "MensXP already has a loyal following, and our goal is to let them keep doing what they‘re doing to reach larger audiences," it said.

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, "This is really exciting for us because not only are we bringing in a strong platform, but we are bringing onboard an awesome, entreprenurial team that has a huge vision for their business. Times Internet is focused on bringing on great entrepreneurs that can take their businesses to the next level with our support."

    "We are extremely excited to work with TIL, especially at a phase that is witnessing the organisation undergo a paradigm shift in the way it does business. The acquisition will help MensXP further its vision to be the defacto lifestyle platform for Indian consumers. I am happy that Satyan believes in our vision and together we will aim build something great," MensXP.com founder and business head Angad Bhatia said.

  • nexGTv launches English music channel ‘nexGTv Music’

    nexGTv launches English music channel ‘nexGTv Music’

    MUMBAI: Mobile TV service provider nexGTv has unveiled its new English music channel called nexGTv Music. The channel has a library of over 300 English songs at the time of launch and is looking at expanding it in the future.

    The launch of the channel is a step towards bringing good content on nexGTv platform and is driven by consumer demand for English music channel. Along with over 100 live channels, 100 short movies and 1000 full length movies this will further enhance six million users‘ experience.

    DigiVive director G D Singh said "We are very enthusiastic with this launch and this is for the first time that a mobile TV has launched it‘s own channel. Our constant endeavour is to offer an enhanced user experience to nexGTv users and this launch is part of it."
    nexGTv offers the Adaptive Streaming technology which enables users to enjoy viewing uninterrupted music video and non-stop playing of the song regardless of the network bandwidth they are using.

    nexGTv offers features like replay TV, best-in-class user interface and 24×7 customer care support call centre. It also offers channels ranging from national to regional in the category of entertainment, movies, news, and much more. It has content from channels like the Sony bouquet, Star bouquet, Aaj Tak, Asianet and Raj Channels. One of its unique features is adaptive streaming which enables seamless live streaming even on 2G network.

  • Bigflix dons new look

    Bigflix dons new look

    Mumbai: Reliance Entertainment Digital has unveiled a new user interface for its movies on demand service, Bigflix.com.


    The enhanced user interface provides optimised browsing options with an easy navigation.


    With this, users can easily discover the movie of their choice. With language as key navigation on the site, one can easily jump to his favorite language, use the large filters to select favorite genre or take a look at the new additions to catalogue in ‘Now Available‘ section. The discovery is further aided by using the newly launched ‘Collections‘. Various collections like ‘BIG B Special‘, ‘Rajni the Boss‘, Deadly Devgan‘, ‘National Award Winners‘, ‘Old is Gold‘, ‘Best of Bengal‘, ‘Malyalam Megastars‘, ‘Vintage Kollywood‘, ‘Best of Mollywood‘ and ‘Telugu Talkies‘ have been added to start with.


    For the subscribers, the new design of the portal offers the advanced ‘Queue‘ feature that allows one to line-up all the movies that they wish to watch. ‘Queue‘ once created can also be accessed from other devices like smartphones and tablets. Also, with ‘Continue Watching‘ feature one can resume the movie from the place where he left it last, irrespective of the device he is watching it on, saving a lot of time.
     
    Big Flicks business head Shreyash Sigtia said, “We firmly believe that this change of UI shall help our subscribers to discover the movies that they want much faster and get engaged with our service. Every change brought about has been designed keeping in mind the consumer‘s needs and ease. We have user‘s who are ardent fans of a genre or actor. We thought of making a dedicated section for them and hence gave rise to ‘Collections‘ making it easy for them to browse through the catalogue.”